


Panic Attack

by englisharpen



Category: Original Work
Genre: (Read Notes), Anxiety Attacks, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Based on a True Story, Exhaustion, Gen, POV Original Character, Panic Attacks, Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 21:57:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4721906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/englisharpen/pseuds/englisharpen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired Original work about a panic attack. (Rated 'T' to be safe.)<br/><em>You don't understand what anyone is saying to you. You are zoning out. Everything seems muted, getting softer and softer, and that pain in your gut seems to be getting worse.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Panic Attack

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah... alright, not going to get into any of this shit, but these past few years have been pretty gnarly. I've had some pretty dangerous things going on and it's become a struggle to get up and go to school.
> 
> Like... I don't know. This is weird, but it's kinda just... numb. Yeah. 
> 
> Okay.
> 
> Anywayyy, two days ago I had a panic attack and so everyone knows- it is fucking terrifying.  
> Like, I _couldn't fucking breathe_ and noises and ugh. It was awful. It wasn't my first, but it was my first since I got this AO3 account and since it was so recent and vivid...
> 
> I'm writing about it.
> 
> Kinda.

Stress.

Everything seems to be happening so fast, and you are struggling to keep up with it all.

Numbness.

You continue. You don't say anything, you keep up your walls. You keep up the cheerful facade and ignore the pain in your stomach.

 _"Hey, once you get done with that, can you--"_ You casually nod even though you have no idea what they are saying.

 _"Is it okay if I..."_ You grin enthusiastically and mutter something like, "Go for it!". You don't understand what anyone is saying to you. You are zoning out. Everything seems muted, getting softer and softer, and that pain in your gut seems to be getting worse.

You plaster a smile onto your face and nod as people keep blasting you with questions and things to get done.

Exhaustion.

You are tired. It's late. You have _so much_ to get done and it just isn't possible. You mindlessly touch your stomach. It burns, aches, and overall hurts like hell. 

You finally snap out of it. "I need a drink of water... my stomach isn't doing well." You sink as everyone around you- yelling at you- frustratedly groan. You hurry out of the room, not noticing that one person who sends you a concerned glance.

Ow. Ow. _Ow._

Every step you take makes jolts of pain go through your stomach and you feel your breathing get heavy. Your mind is going five-thousand miles per second and you suddenly feel like a very tightly wound cord.

You. Can't. Breathe.

You feel your eyes widen as you walk towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Every breath in is getting harder, and you suddenly start to panic. _You can't breathe. You can't fucking breathe._

Hurts. It hurts. You wrap your arms around your chest and will the pain to go away because you still have so much _work_ to do and-- Just the thought of all the things on your 'to-do' list... your stomach tightens and suddenly you can't breathe and you realise you have collapsed and you wonder how the hell you got this exhausted and what is _happening_?!

Somehow you find yourself flipped onto your back, and before you know what is happening someone is pushing your knees together and your ankles apart and your arms are resting above your head and...

Noise. Noise. Noise. Someone is standing above you, calmly repeating something over and over. _"Breathe. You can breathe. In... hold it for a few seconds... out. Come on, do it with me."_

And you try to breathe but it feels like there is a block in your throat. Your lungs constrict and you choke. Panic rises. 

_Pain._

_The gnawing ache._

__You are overwhelmed._._

And then you realise you started crying somewhere in between the kitchen and the floor and god, you gasp for breath as the block vanishes. Blurry vision starts to even out. The voice becomes louder and much more clear. 

"In... breathe in, and hold it..." 

You breathe in, and try as you might you shoot it out before gasping for more sweet air. "Hold it... hold it in. Slowly breathe out..." 

And you breathe out, and _fuck_ , whatthehell just happened. 

"I'm fine... I'm fine..." You mumble and you try to stand up, but the person- woman?- above you holds you down and quietly sighs. "You just had a panic attack. You will be fine in a few minutes. Just relax. Breathe." 

"Wasn't... a panic.... attack...." You breathe out, and the woman hums. "Yes it was. But it's okay now." 

And you bury one fist into each eye socket and gasp for air and sob. 

_Because this isn't the first time that you've had an attack._

_And it won't be the last._

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know whatthefuck that was. Sorry. 
> 
> Yeah, I edited some bits like the scenario and shit (wow my language today is rockin) but overall that was pretty much my evening two days ago. 
> 
> Also, this entire thing was probably confusing and weird and nothing like my other works, and, of course, it isn't fanfiction, so I'm practically bursting with anxiety at posting an ORIGINAL WORK.
> 
> I seriously have no idea what this was, I just felt inspired. Panic attacks are freaky and you really can't describe them. The best way to calm yourself/anyone else having an attack down, is the following:
> 
> \- Lay down (preferably on something not totally rock-hard)  
> \- Knees in the air, together.  
> \- Ankles a good distance apart.  
> \- Arms resting above the head. 
> 
> And yep, I wasn't even sure it was a panic attack when my stomach started hurting. To clear that up- my lungs were constricting from stress and stuff. Fun, huh? 
> 
> The woman calming reader/me/you/whoever was actually my Aunt. God bless her, she's had to deal with enough. 
> 
> Anyway, hope this wasn't too horrible. Kudos if you liked / comments on anything else.


End file.
